St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-05-26

you. But
Joanna stood still, her face harden
ing into cold, white mask, her hands
falling to her side.
eyes," said she, "you were saying"-
'It's mother!" guiltily confessed ST.
mon. ga fellow can't go against his
own mother, you know. She says it's
nonsense, our engagement, and We
shouldn't have anything to live on.
And So" with a final twist, "we had
better consider it all over. That's the
sense of the matter-nOw amt ito
annaP"
She did not answer.
"I'm awfully Sorry" suffered ST.
mon. 81 always set deal of store by
you, Joanna"
"Did you 7" she said bitterly. "One
would scarcely have thought it,"
And she turned and walked like a
young queen into the adjoining apart
ment while Simon, Sinking out of
the door like detected burglar, NUT
tered to himself:
otis the hardest work that / ever
did in my life. Splitting stumps is
nothing to it. But mother says it
must be done-and mother rules the
rOost in our house ~
Next came Mrs. EmmOns.
"Joanna," said she, "I'm deeply
grieved at this ere affiictiOn that's be-
fell you"
"Thank you, Mrs. Emmons," said
the girl mechanically.
"I've come to ask you about your
plans" added the plump widow. "Be
cause if you had no other intentions
Pll be glad to have you help me with
the Homework. Pm going to have a
house full of summer bOarders, and
there'll be a deal more work than me
and Elviry can manage. OF course
you won't expect no pay, but good
home is what you need most, and"-
"StOp a minute !" said Joanna. cam
| to understand that you expect me to
assume the position and duties of a
servant, without servants wages"
"You'll be a member of the family"
said Mrs. EmmOns, "And you'll set at
the same table with me and Elviry,
and"-
"Tm much obliged to YOU" said Jo-
anna, "but | must decline your kind
offer"
And then Mrs. EmmOns departed in
righteous wrath, declaring her convic-
ton that pride was certain sooner or
later to have fall.
81 have plenty of friends" said JO
anna, cOurageOusly, cor rather dear
grandpa had. l am sure to be pro-
vided for"
Old Mrs. Griggs, who had $50, 900 at
interest and who had always declared
that she loved dear Joanna Fox like Il
daughter, sent down word that she
wasn't very we'll and couldn't see COM
pany.
DIR. Walker, in visiting whose daugh
ter poor Parson Fox had contracted the
illness which carried him to his grave,
was brisk and short. He was sorry
for Miss Joanna, of course, but he did
not know of any way in which he
could be useful. He understood there
was to be kid glove factory opened
on Walling river soon. No doubt Miss
Fox could get place there as there
could be no objection to her going out
to domestic service. There was a
great deal of false sentiment on this
subject.
But Joanna, without waiting for the
result of his cOgitatiOns, excused her
she said and she went away with
ed tears.
When she got home she found one of
the trustees of the church awaiting
her. He didn't wish to hurry her, he
said, but the new clergyman didn't
want to live in such a ruinOus old
place and it was their calculations, as
the parsonage was mortgaged much
beyond it's real value, to sell it out and
buy new frame near the depot, with
all the modern cOnveniences, for the
use of the Rev. Silas Speakwell.
cam l to be turned out of my homer"
said Joanna, Indignantly.
Deacon Blydenburg hemmed and
hawed. He didn't want to hurt any
ones feelings but as to her home, it
was well known that to all intents and
purposes the old place had long ago
passed out of ParsOn FOx's ownership;
and they were willing to accord her
up and take leave of her friends-say
a week.
So Joanna who could think of no re-
naming friend but her old governess,
who had long ago gone to New York
to fight the great world for herself,
went down to the city and appealed to
Miss WOOdin in her extremity, and
Miss WOOdin cried over her and kiss
ed her and caressed her like an old
maiden aunt.
"What am l to do?" said poor, pale
Joanna. 81 can't starve."
"There's no necessity for any one
starving in this great busy world"
said Miss Woodin, cheerfully. "All
one wants is faculty."
Joanna shrank little from the hard
stereotyped word which she had so
often heard from the lips of Miss EN-
mons, Miss Sabina Sexton and that
siSterhOOd.
"But how do you live 2" asked she.
900 you see that thing there in the
corner !" said Miss WOOdin.
eyes," answered Joanna. "It is a
sewing machine 7"
"It's type writer" answered Miss
WOodin, "and | can earn my living
on it,"
"But what do you write p asked
j Joanna.
"Anything 1 can get" said Miss
WOOdin.
And thus in the heart of the great
of New York Joanna Fox
commenced her pilgrimage of toll.
First on the type writer, then pro-
NOTED to a comptroller's desk in the
fashion department of prominent
weekly journal than by means of a
original sketch, slipped into
the letter box of the Ladies' Weekly |
with fear and trembling to a place on
the contributors list; then gradually
rising to the rank of a spirited nov
elist, until our village damsel had her
pretty fat furnished like miniature
palace, with Miss Woodin and her type
writer snugly installed in one corner.